Sidetracked
by Zenkx
Summary: Based on ME3: Datapad. A story behind one of Garrus' messages to Shepard. [Oneshot]


Garrus coughed, his throat drying up. He had been calibrating the Normandy's guns for five hours straight without even drinking a gulp of water. He looked down at his OmniTool and realized that was it was sleep time for some of the Normandy's crew. He straightened from the console and stretched his neck from side to side, hearing some sound as his bones realigned themselves again. He headed out the door.

He left the Main Battery room, intending to head for the Mess Hall, but as he passed by the elevators, he stopped.

He thought of Shepard in her cabin, probably sleeping. The poor woman hadn't had any decent sleep lately. He could see it in her eyes, the slight reddening of her corneas, the darkening tint under them. She would sigh and rub her head often, and when she thought nobody was looking, she would let out a small yawn, covering her mouth with her hand to hide it. But Garrus could see it.

Of course, it has been pretty tough. With the Reapers landing on Earth, Shepard had been too busy finding a way to stop them, not just for her homeworld, but for the whole galaxy as well. The Reapers are a threat to any living organism. She was fighting her hardest to find a way to extinguish them all.

Unfortunately, the fight is slowly taking a toll in her sleeping pattern.

Garrus sighed, and headed to the elevator, pressing the button to the Captain's Cabin. He exited and stood outside her door, and pressed a button to open it.

It opened, and he slowly went inside. The lights were dimmed down, but he could see fine enough with his visor. He looked into her small office, and her opened bathroom, but she wasn't there. He walked down the small stairs and finally located Shepard.

She was in curled up in bed, sleeping, her blanket flung away from her so it pooled at her feet. She was holding tight to a pillow in her arms, her hands holding tightly into fists. She was wearing what seemed to be a black, silk negligee as her sleepwear, exposing her bare legs, shoulders and arms. The fabric clung to her like a second skin, and Garrus swallowed at the appeal.

But when he looked at her face, he was suprised to see her brows furrowed, her breathing shallow and short, like she was afraid. Her eyes moved under her eyelids rapidly, like she was looking for something. She whimpered in her sleep, and Garrus bent down ready to wake her.

Shepard began shaking her head in panic, making her red hair fall to her face. Garrus raised a hand and used the back of his talon to push the errant hair to the back of her ear. "Ssshhh..." Garrus whispered, and Shepard's whimpering slowly silenced, "I'm right here, Shepard."

She calmed down her sleep, her nightmare passing, the death grip on her pillow relaxing. Shee breathed normally again, even letting a small snore escape from her. Garrus chuckled, using his talon again to touch down the silky softness of her cheek, her neck, her shoulder and down her arm.

Shepard sighed in her sleep, unconsciously enjoying the sensation. She burrowed her face into her pillow again, pulling it so that her leg went around it, like the pillow was some kind of comforting lover to her. She snuggled again and sighed loudly. "Garrus..." she whispered.

Garrus blinked. Shepard was dreaming of him? Embracing the pillow as if it was him? He couldn't help but smile at the thought. He bent down to her, his hands lightly drifting down her bare thigh, and brought his lip plates to her ear. "I love you." He whispered, before touching his lip plate down her temple in a soft, tender kiss.

Shepard sighed and smiled in her sleep, dreamily muttering, "...Love you, too..." She snored lightly after saying it, and Garrus backed up and smiled again.

Not wanting to disturb her any longer, lest she wakes, Garrus silently went back to the elevator and pushed to button to head back to Deck 3. Seeing Shepard so vunerable, so womanly in her negligee made something in him ache and burn. He swallowed again, his throat dry with desire and love at watching the love of his life dream about him as he watched.

He entered the Mess Hall, grabbed a bottle of water, and headed back to the Main Battery. He took a big gulp of water, the moisture soothing his throat, and he turned his attention back at the scanner. He was about to go back to his calibrations, but he stopped. He pressed something in his visor and he smiled.

A picture of Shepard appeared semi-transparent on his visor, just he had just seen her a moment ago, smiling in her sleep, her arm and leg around her pillow. A warm feeling of love and admiration settled in his turian heart, while desire filled the bottom of his stomach. He smiled to himself again, and opened his OmniTool and typed out a message to the love of his life.

"It's late. Just got up for some water. You're still asleep. Wanted to say how beautiful I think you are. Love G"


End file.
